The Western Bulldogs are sweating on the results of scans which will determine the extent of a knee injury suffered by star forward Isabel Huntington.
Huntington went down clutching at her knee in the second quarter after a marking contest.
The 2017 number one draft pick grabbed for her right knee with fears immediately arising that she had suffered a third ACL injury.
Bulldogs head of women’s footy Debbie Lee told Channel 7 during the game that the club would be nervously awaiting scans to reveal the extent of the injury.
“The medical team are just assessing at the moment, so we’ll just have to wait and see post-game,” Lee said.
“We’re hoping for the best but it’s just getting assessed at the moment.”
She has ruptured her ACL twice since entering the AFLW, with the injury occurring in 2018 and 2019. Huntington also tore an ACL in 2016.
The 2021 Rising Star and 2020 All-Australian has quickly become one of the league's most exciting prospects and now faces another season out of the game.
The nature of the women's competition is such that players lives outside of football are often impacted by serious injuries.
AFLW premiership coach Bec Goddard said that there were many aspects of Huntington's life that may be affected should the worst be true.
“I’ve got a sick feeling in my stomach watching this,” premiership coach Bec Goddard told Channel 7.
“The thing about ACLs – this is really sad news if this is the case that poor Izzy has got another injury like it – is that it’s not just football.
"It’s her life, it's her study, it’s her work – it impacts everything, aside from the fact she’s going to be out of the game for a lengthy period of time if that’s happened.
“That’s why the air’s been sucked out of the ground a little bit because it’s a bit more than just footy. These athletes aren’t paid full-time yet – we’re working a way forward on that – and it’s hard on them.”